Smithfield’s, obviously getting their start in Smithfield, NC, is a North Carolina chain that focuses on fried chicken and Eastern NC-style barbecue (read: vinegary). They sell their barbecue sauce and hush puppy batter in bulk at the counter. Strangely, the sides were not listed on their posted menu, which would have been helpful when I was asked if I wanted the standard ones or not (brunswick stew, coleslaw, potato salad, fries, and baked beans are the options for your reference). In addition to fried chicken and pork barbecue, they have a seafood section that consists of . . . shrimp. Not sure why it wasn’t called the shrimp section but who am I to question such things? Banana pudding and pecan pie are also available if you have a sweet tooth.

The dining area is very large and very clean, with a staff member always at hand to take your trash, bring you a refill, or anything else you need. There’s also a sink to the right of the counter to encourage you to wash your hands before and after you finish your meal.
Speaking of the meal, I ordered a white chicken platter, which came with a breast, thigh, coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies.

First things first, the fried chicken is GOOD. Really good. There were loads of crispy, crunchy coating and the breast was huge, moist, and yummy. The thigh had no meat to speak of, but the breast was plenty by itself.

Both the coleslaw and potato salad had the bright yellow tint that normally means mustard is a major ingredient, but thankfully for me, if it was, it had a very weak flavor. I hate mustard most of the time, and especially when it ruins a perfectly good side item. It didn’t ruin these, but both were just okay. The potato salad was really soupy, with lots of pickles. There might have been more pickle than potato. The coleslaw was too sweet but cut into small chunks like I like.

The hush puppies were pretty good, but not my favorites in the Triangle (Dillard’s Bar-B-Q in Durham wins that race for now). They are of the cylindrical variety , dense, and very chewy. The crust was great. As I usually do, I dripped some of their barbecue sauce on top of the hush puppies and found it to taste of nothing but vinegar, though I know there was a collection of spices at the bottom of the bottle. The Texas Pete on the table gave my taste buds a greater thrill.

I must say, Smithfield’s is definitely in the lead now for my favorite southern fast food chain. The fried chicken was just that good, and the rest good enough.

If you are a BBQ fan, you should really check out the BBQ Jew if you haven’t yet. Hilarious reading, even for people like me who aren’t quite as into our carnivorism. Plus, lots of out of the way BBQ spots to check out.